Study: Disparity Exists Between Health Perception and
Fact

According to a study of 1,004 adults conducted by
Destiny Health, 67% of Americans feel that they are
physically active, and only 30% feel that they are
overweight. However, the study points out that according to
Department of Health and Human Services figures, 60% of
Americans do not get enough exercise, and 64% are
overweight. Therefore, the study asserts that there is a
disparity in perception and reality when it comes to worker
health.

“More than anything, the study shows the need for a new
definition for the word, ‘healthy’,” said Destiny Health
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Charles Schutz in a press
release. “It proves that Americans tend to see themselves
as well until they are actively sick. Their definition of
healthy is ‘I feel fine.’ That is a dangerous notion that
needs to be replaced by the understanding that a person is
healthy only when he or she is living a healthy lifestyle
and is regularly monitoring key risk factors, such as blood
pressure and cholesterol levels.

Furthermore, 75% of respondents said they were healthy.
To show that a disparity exists here as well, the Destiny
Health study cited the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
statistic that states that almost 50% of the country lives
with at least one chronic health condition.

Workers do seem to realize they could be healthier, but
most fail to act, the study also shows. While 88% say that
they could improve their health by eating better, 43% still
admit to eating fast food at least once a week, and 90% say
that they eat processed snacks regularly.

To fix the problem of misperception, Schutz suggests
that four steps need to be taken to increase health and
promote engagement for employees:

lay the groundwork for changes in health by
establishing a baseline or goal employees can work
towards

build enthusiasm for the program and have senior
executives lead by example

reward position behavior so that there is an
incentive to become healthier; the study cites programs
that lower health care costs for workers who are in
better shape.